April Fool: New 'supercharged' water formula to debut at British Swimming Championships in Sheffield

Even Team GB swimmer Max Litchfield got in on the April Fool'd Day jokes this year.
The new formula helps swimmers go faster in the water.The new formula helps swimmers go faster in the water.
The new formula helps swimmers go faster in the water.

The Sheffield-born Olympian helped Yorkshire Water come up with the following story. Were you fooled?

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A new water formula that experts believe will help swimmers smash records by up to five per cent will be used at Sheffield's Ponds Forge this month.

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Scientists working for Yorkshire Water have spent the past two years developing the 'supercharged' water known as H2GO.

Working with Sheffield's Team GB swimmer Max Litchfield, they have come up with the perfect formula by introducing just the right amount of gas into each water molecule, optimising the buoyancy of the pool and reducing drag on swimmers.

H2GO will make its debut at the British Swimming Championships at Ponds Forge later this month.

Dr Katrina Bakker discusses H2GO with Max Litchfield.Dr Katrina Bakker discusses H2GO with Max Litchfield.
Dr Katrina Bakker discusses H2GO with Max Litchfield.

Litchfield, who swims for City of Sheffield and trains daily in the Olympic-sized pool at Ponds Forge, thinks the new formula could be a massive boost for Team GB.

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“When Yorkshire Water first approached me a couple of years ago, I had to say I was very sceptical," he said.

"However, I can’t wait to get into the pool to compete and have the 400m Individual Medley world record firmly in my sights.”

The current 400m Individual Medley world record stands at 4.03.84 and was set by Olympic legend Michael Phelps in Beijing in 2008.

Max hopes to break world records at the British Swimming ChampionshipsMax hopes to break world records at the British Swimming Championships
Max hopes to break world records at the British Swimming Championships

Litchfield, who came fourth at the Rio Olympics in 2016, has a personal best time of 4.11.62 for his 400m Individual Medley. However, he now hopes that the H2GO pool formula can help him on his quest to become the world’s best in his event.

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Yorkshire Water's Dr Katrina Bakker said: “Sheffield’s Pond Forge already has a reputation for being one of the fastest pools in the UK.

"However, we wanted to make it even faster.

"Hundreds of hours of research have gone in to perfecting this H2GO formula for the pool, which is perfectly safe, and we can’t wait to put it through its first test at the British Swimming Championships later this month.

Dr Katrina Bakker discusses H2GO with Max Litchfield.Dr Katrina Bakker discusses H2GO with Max Litchfield.
Dr Katrina Bakker discusses H2GO with Max Litchfield.

"Our new water is going to cause waves amongst the international swimming scene when other countries see the times it can deliver.”

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Max hopes to break world records at the British Swimming ChampionshipsMax hopes to break world records at the British Swimming Championships
Max hopes to break world records at the British Swimming Championships